Principal Investigator
Edoardo Battaglia, PhD
Email: edoardo.battaglia@utah.edu Google Scholar Page
Edoardo Battaglia joined the Mechanical Engineering Department of University of Utah as an Assistant Professor in 2022. He is a Core Faculty in the University of Utah Robotics Center. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and his master degree in Robotics and Automation Engineering at University of Pisa, in 2009 and 2013 respectively. He received his PhD in Information Engineering (Robotics Track) from University of Pisa in 2018. Before joining the U he was Postdoctoral Fellow in the Human-Enabled Robotic Technology Laboratory lab (HeroLab) at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include design and validation of haptic interfaces, mathematical modeling of the sense of touch and human manipulation and user-centered medical robotics and human-robot interaction.

Graduate Students
Pengshun Tang
Email: Pengshun.Tang@utah.edu
Tang is a mechanical engineering PhD student at the University of Utah. Tang's research interest is on defining the human's preferences of haptics function in devices and determine the methods of making predictions on the preferences. Outside of work/school, he loves go-kart racing and table tennis. 
Kyler Ingles
Email: u1352712@utah.edu
Kyler is a PhD student in the Robotics program. He is passionate about exploring the field of soft robotics and is currently developing a compliant linear actuator with variable stiffness. In addition to his academic endeavors, Kyler enjoys baking, rock climbing, and snowboarding.
William White
Email: u0948356@utah.edu
William is a Robotics Masters student at the University of Utah. He graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University-Idaho. In the fall of 2023, he joined the h-CHAR Lab for the opportunity to study and improve how humans interact with technology. William's research at the U focuses on the design of a soft robotic exoskeleton and the application of robotics in rehabilitation. His other interests include hiking, camping, tabletop roleplaying games, and playing the violin.
Reynaldo Villarreal Zambrano
Email: u1348597@utah.edu
Reynaldo Villarreal Zambrano is a BS/MS student at the University of Utah. With a strong curiosity in applying these fields to enrich haptic feedback experiences, he is enthusiastic about researching novel applications of emerging technologies. Besides his academic pursuits, Reynaldo enjoys watching movies, playing pickleball, and traveling to new places. He is motivated to leverage his passion for technology and data to create practical solutions that positively impact our day-to-day lives.
Undergraduate Students
Catherine Joy Davey
Email: u1353369@utah.edu
Catherine is a Mechanical Engineering BS student at the University of Utah. She is interested in sustainable and human-centered engineering design. Her current project is testing the effect of various fidget toys on attention and working memory, which will help inform the design of user interfaces. Outside of school, Catherine enjoys rock climbing, canyoneering, hiking, and gardening.
Ethan Morgan
Email: u1556882@utah.edu
Ethan is a Mechanical Engineering BS student at the University of Utah minoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. His research focuses on developing wireless haptic feedback devices. Currently, he is developing a GUI and library for sending and recieving commands and data from haptic devices via Bluetooth Low Energy. In his free time, Ethan also enjoys hiking, writing short stories, and watching sci-fi movies and tv shows.
Alumni
Mathias Schoen
Former: Masters Student (2025)
Pawan Subedi
Former: Masters Student (2024)
Joe Liechty
Former: Masters Student (2024)
Tyler Bartunek
Former: Masters Student (2024)